here i am!

and this is going to be "the great Sox summary" of Thursday through today, ok? because i've got some other stuff to catch up on.



Thursday it was soggy.


which means Friday brought not only the 13th, but The Wakabelli Show. The Wakabelli Show with whom i am smitten.

there were two Loretta-quality plays for Pedroia Pocket. and JD in RF doing his best Trot Nixon impressions. he's earning a little less icy glare from me for sporting Number 7, but i hope he doesn't think he's fooling anyone. to quote an in-game text from Daniel: "every time i see that 7, for a second, i hope it might be Trot. and then JD turns around." it's like a little punch in the gut each time. we miss you Trot.

there was the fear that "lack of run support" would continue for our beloved knuckler. and then...

Dougie loves his Wake. Dougie, who may not hit another home run all season, knocked one out to Timlin in the bullpen & chugged around the bags. perhaps the rest of the team determined that they could not be shown up by He Who Bats .000 And Went 0-4 Going Into Friday. i truthfully don't care what made them all come up to bat with the will to hit for Wakey after Mirabelli's homer. just keep giving Wake the love.

it was even nice to see Lugo making some contact, but he & i need to set something straight, and set it straight *now*:

when Lowell calls you off a ball, you creepy little Tampa castoff, you get the *hell* out of his way, because A) he's got a Gold Glove, 2) he is as likely to catch it as you are to drop it (and no, i do not care that you actually did catch it), and D) if you run into him & trip him up or somehow otherwise injure that 3B-man, you are going to have one steamed transplanted-New-England-girl taking out her every frustration on your goofy little... head. there's a line from the movie Major League: "Nice catch. Don't ever f---ing do it again." take heed, little man. you may be small, but Pedroia has the cute-market cornered & that just means you're the right size for one smallish girl to take on. you just mind the balls that get hit up the middle. and when Lowell says he's got it, step aside. and this is why you do it.

because you? you don't even *try* to catch it. Lowell not only tries, he *does*. and another thing? you need not treat Cabrera like *this* again.

i realize that he is the opponent, not to mention a former Red Sox SS, and you just stole a base on him. and i know you presently hold his spot in the revolving-door position. just remember that after Cabrera, who was pretty great over there by the way, we had Renteria, who stunk. followed by Alex, who may be the most beautifully executing SS in the Majors today. if you pay attention to trends, you're destined to bomb -- unfortunately for us. Orlando was everything they tout you to be at the plate & on the bases. bat & speed. everything you want from a leadoff hitter. but he also has defensive skills, which we have learned you do *not*. and i still don't understand why they let him go. ::shakes head:: like i need another reason to dislike you.

Youk continues to rock the world at first. look at him tagging out Vlad!

and now look at Lugo's shock in the background. i guess he doesn't realize that's how we play defense in Boston.

one more thing. no one better do this again. leave our Youk alone, mm-kay?


moving along to Saturday. if Schill made you doubt for one split second during that season opener in KC, you better be feeling the belief now. eight innings. 101 pitches. shut out. beautiful job, Curt. and you know that the resounding cheers you mention here were echoed everywhere RSN gathered to view that outing, across the nation: The fans in NY and Boston are always very in tune with the starting pitchers and pitch counts. Walking off the mound as the home guy with those fans on their feet is a rush you just can’t understand. At the core of reasons for doing what we do, beyond the love of the game and all the other stuff, are those moments that you find yourself in that you know people that haven’t experienced it just won’t get it. April 14th in Fenway and 35,000+ people are on their feet, and LOUD. It’s a rush, an incredible rush. I know it will absolutely be one of the things I’ll miss when I am done but man it’s pretty frickin’ unreal to experience. (38 Pitches) for real. i was at the ESPN Club at WDW's Boardwalk & you should have heard the roar & the clapping! even better that our appreciation truly means something to you.

the shocking play of the day:

Manny appearing in CF to catch a fly ball. i practically fell off my bar stool when i saw the streaking dreadlocks come in from the left side of the screen. i don't know where the wild hair (ha ha, pun unintended) came from to make a play for that ball, but thank God he caught it. you never know with Manny.

a favorite moment: Papi at third pointing to Manny at first.

we don't often get to see this pair at at the corners.

one other thought from that game:

Hinske may be my favorite mid-season acquisition from 2006. (not counting the return of of the "abelli" portion of The Wakabelli Show, maytheyneverbeseparatedagain, of course.) he covered Youk on a scheduled game off (which i really hope isn't a cover up for him actually being hurt from that pitch he took on Friday), and i must say that Hinske is a stand-up Sock. no, not the sort that so badly needs to be laundered that it actually walked itself to the washer. i mean the kind of utility player that comes into a position played by a well-loved starter, one who busts his (nice -- so i hear) ass every day & actually did Youk proud over there. not to mention the way he motors around the bases. he really moves for a big dude. he was like a freight train rounding second, heading for third. i swear if someone had gotten in his way, it would have been like a bug on a windshield.

i was waiting for baseball today. no one else showed up though.

rumor has it, tomorrow is going to be pretty much the same. =/ too many days without Sox makes a girl droopy.

so i guess i will leave you with the reason i have a little more respect for Julian the Insane, and it seems another Yankee joins the list of walking wounded. i'm *not* laughing lest i distract the baseball gods from the task at hand or turn their gaze toward Boston. all i will say is: are we really all that shocked it's Pavano?